Spring Training 2026 - Day 67

 We left Camp Margarita about 9:30 am after coffee at a nearby coffee shop and refueling before entering the freeway.

It was a short trip today, only 200 miles, but we wanted to stop short of Houston and get a fresh start tomorrow through Houston and San Antonio before our stop at Kerrville, TX. 

The trip today was relatively easy, sunny, dry roads, and little wind.  There was a lot of congestion in spots however near Lake Charles, LA and Beaumont as we crossed into Texas.  A lot of highway construction, no delays but narrow lanes with the big rigs not slowing down on the way by.

Our stop today is the Houston East RV Park.  Judy and I have stayed here on previous trips. It is a nice park, just off I-10 on a frontage road.  There doesn't seem to be a lot of overnight campers.  It appears there a lot of extended stay RV's, mostly used as temporary housing for transient and temporary workers in the area.  It is well maintained and a good overnight stop for us.

Spring Training 2026 - Day 66

 It was a longer drive today, almost 300 miles, so we left Pensacola at 8:45 am this morning.  

Our first stop was Buc-ee's, a mega travel center with lots of gas pumps, food, drinks, travel supplies and lots of other stuff you didn't know you needed.  We loaded up on brisket, a store trademark, and filled up with gas.  Buc-ee's is a local favorite throughout the Southeast and almost a must-stop when travelling in this part of the country.

Buc-ee's History

Our first stop just west of Pensacola;

We actually travelled through four states today.  We started in Florida, then Alabama, Mississippi, and now Louisiana.  The skies were mostly cloudy with a tailwind, and we rain into a nasty rainstorm in Eastern Louisiana that lasted 30 minutes, then cleared.

We are staying at a huge RV park, Camp Margaritaville in Breaux Bridge just east of Lafayette.  It used to be called Cajun Palms RV Resort.  Judy and I stayed here many times.  The park's season has not yet started, but during the summer it is a very popular regional vacation resort with lots of family activities and things to do.

After arrival around 2:30 pm, we did laundry. We requested and received a site near the laundry room.  That worked as we only had to walk to the laundry room and not unhook the truck.

Texas tomorrow.  We are staying at an RV park just east of Houston.  It is only 200 miles, but we need to be fresh to get through Houston and San Antonio to our next stop on Wednesday in Kerrville, Texas

Spring Training 2026 - Day 65

 Before leaving this morning, we stopped at a Publix grocery store for a few things and had a takeout breakfast at a nearby Wendy's in the shopping center.

It was then west on I-10 by 10:00 am to our stop today in Pensacola, FL.  It was a relatively short trip, only 220 miles, and we gained an hour and are now in the Central Time Zone. We arrived at 12:30 pm CDT.  It was fairly easy ride, no appreciable wind that affected travel, traffic not too bad, dry roads, and overcast skies.

The park, Pensacola RV Park is large and seems to have a lot of extended stay campers.  It is not a high-end RV park with lots of large RVs, and trailers.  I guess you would call it a "middle class" RV park. We have stayed here before, and it is not bad for an overnight stop.

We were going to do laundry, but there are not very many washers and dryers for the size of the RV park (150 sites), mostly occupied.  We would have to unhook the truck to drive to the park laundry and wait in line. Instead, we decided to try tomorrow at our next stop.  So, we just relaxed, did a few things around the RV and watched the Phillies game and the Flyers hockey game later in the evening

We will be travelling tomorrow to Breaux Bridge, LA, near Lafayette.  Weather still looks good moving west.

We grilled a pork tenderloin outside tonight, with mac and cheese and bread.

There will probably not be a lot of pictures going forward, but you never know what looks interesting. We are in "going home mode" and no stops for sightseeing are planned.

Spring Training 2026 - Day 64

 We left Patrick SFB at 9:30 am after fueling up at the base gas station.

It was up I-95 to I-10 at Jacksonville, then west to our stop for tonight just east of Tallahassee at the Tallahassee RV Park arriving around 4:30 pm.  It is just off I-10W.  Judy and I stayed here on previous trips, and we have a pull through site.  So, no need to unhook the truck.  

The trip here had a few challenges.  There was a 20-minute lane compression delay south of Jacksonville due to an accident.  It also turned cloudy with a fairly strong east wind and occasional light rain.  After turning west, the wind became a tail wind, and we arrived in Tallahassee without any delays or wind and rain events.

We ordered take out BBQ food through Uber Eats after we arrived and watched the Phillies and Flyers on TV/Streaming.

It will be a relatively short trip to Pensacola, FL tomorrow (204 miles) for another overnight stay.  The weather enroute looks good. We are not pushing it on the daily legs of the return trip. Even with two drivers we don't want to drive too long each day.  Five hundred miles a day is no longer a realistic travel day as we get older and maybe a little wiser.

No picture today, but here is a little history and current status of Patrick SFB where we stayed the last two days.

Patrick SFB History and Current Status

Spring Training 2026 - Day 63

 We traveled about 20 mile north to the Kennedy Space Center today. Judy and I visited it on a prior trip, and we wanted to see it again on this trip while nearby.

This space center is run by an entertainment company. It is entirely funded with visitor revenues without government financial support. There are lots of exhibits, tours, and attractions, mostly family oriented with an emphasis on youth education and fun.

We hadn't considered it was spring break for school kids.  Every school in the county is on a break, and all kids with an adult ticket received free admission to the center while on break. Consequently, the center was packed with lots of kids and the lines were very long waiting for buses to the tour locations and other attractions.  It was hot and humid, crowded, with constant noise from groups of young school students. Not the best environment for us old folks.

Nevertheless, we finally got on a bus for a tour of the complex.  A new attraction since we were last here is a stop at LC-39 with site attractions and an observation tower with excellent views up and down the coastal launch facility locations.   You got off the bus at this location, and when ready, got on an arriving bus to the next stop the Saturn/Apollo building with exhibits related to the Apollo/Saturn program that put astronauts on the moon in 1968.

On the way back to the Visitors Center there is also a building dedicated to the Space Shuttle Atlantis. The shuttle is in the building along with exhibits related to the space shuttle program.  Our "fun meter" had pegged out by then and we skipped that attraction.

The space center is essentially an educational amusement park, a great place to learn about the USA space programs history, and sort of a Disneyland for families with young kids. I suspect many visitors to Disney World also travel here. For us today, it was hot, long waits, and a lot of noisy young children.  It was good to see it all (most of it) again, but we are not sure it is worth a return trip unless you are lucky enough to see a launch while there.

Kennedy Space Center

The highlight of the visit, however, was to get a relatively close-up view of the Artimis 2 spacecraft scheduled to lift off on April 1st with 4 astronauts and circle the moon.

After a long hot day, we cooked steaks outside on the grill.

Another Pretty Sunset

We leave tomorrow for Tallassee, our first stop heading west for home.

Spring Training 2026 - Day 62

 We left Bay Bayou around 10:00 am after filling up with propane and getting a Starbucks mocha.

It is a fairly short distance over to the Florida East Coast, but it took about 3 hours to get to our destination, The Fam Camp RV park at Patrick Space Force Base.  The base is basically a support base for space launches at the Cape Canaveral Eastern Launch Complex Facilities at the Kennedy Space Center. The base is home of Space Force Delta 45, 

Judy and I stayed here before on a previous trip in 2022, and we were able to get a site on the water side of the RV park again.

After we were set up, we went to the base commissary for a few supplies after a late lunch at the base BX food court.

We watched the first Phillies game to start the season in Philadelphia then it was a light dinner after a late lunch.

A pretty sunset. 

We are heading up to The Kennedy Space Center for a tour tomorrow than leave for our next, stop Tallassee, FL on Saturday.

Spring Training 2026 - Day 61

 Getting Ready.  We went to Cracker Barrel for breakfast and back to the RV to continue departure tomorrow.

We went out to dinner at a "Modern Mexican" restaurant down the road.  It was upscale Mexican food, not Taqueria or Food Tuck fair.  A little fancier, and a lot of variety.  The Marguerita's were excellent and Kevin and I each had a chicken dish stuffed with lots of things.  They were delicious.

We are ready to hit the road, leaving in the morning

Spring Training 2026 - Day 60

 Most of today was spent breaking down outside RV equipment and packing things up.  We made good progress and will finish up tomorrow.

We did go out for lunch at a Steak and Shake just down the road. They have good burgers and their milkshakes are outstanding.

We did a few more things after lunch then rested.  Then all of a sudden, it was time for dinner. We went to great authentic Italian restaurant, Acqua Alta.  We have eaten there on previous trips and the food remains excellent.  

                                                           

           Pasta in a cheese wheel                                            

We had an appetizer, toasted focaccia bread with cheese, tomato slices, basil, and balsamic vinegar. It was delicious.

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I had a pizza for dinner and Kevin had a steak, cooked Italian style with a cheese sauce.  Both were excellent.

Watched hockey back in the RV and on to bed after a busy day.

Spring Training 2026 - Day 59

 Well, its's a wrap for spring training baseball.  It was Game 17 for us in Clearwater today.  The Phillies played the Tampa Bay Rays.  The game started an hour earlier as the players on the roster headed to Philadelphia after the game to prepare for the season opener against the Texas Rangers on Thursday.

The lineup for both teams featured pretty much what the starting lineups for each team will look like to open the season.  Most of the main players only played 5 innings and the rest of the game was played by backup players on the roster and a few minor leaguers.  It was not a great game for the Phillies as they lost 7-0.  Of course, it was spring training, and every team is tied for first place when the real games start this week.  Spring training is not just about winning or losing but also opportunities to evaluate new players, upcoming rookies, veterans trying to make the team, and players on the roster to get their "game" ready for the season that is 162 games long.  Winning these games is still important but is not necessarily a reflection of how the team will perform during the season.  The Phillies roster looks strong, and I expect they will do well this year.

Day 59 - Phillies v Rays

After the game we headed over to Dunedin for a late lunch/early dinner at Flanagan's Irish Pub, a favorite place from previous trips. Kevin and I had great meals, each featuring corned beef, accompanied by a glass of Guiness draft beer.

On the way back to the RV, we stopped at the Lucky Dill restaurant to get some more pastries at the attached Brooklyn Bakery.  Their pastries are the best by far of any we have had here.  Back at the RV we each ate one for dessert.

We will continue tomorrow to get ready for our departure on Thursday to begin the next phase of our spring training adventure - heading home.

It has been a great trip and spring training baseball experience. There have been plenty of memories, good times, and reconnecting with places in the area and people at the stadium who Judy and I knew and who remembered us from previous trips over the years. 

 Judy would be pleased.